Free Navy SEAL Noel by Liz Johnson

been doing the same thing. Juan Carlos’s plan to attack a neighboring cartel had the whole compound off-kilter. And the two of them were in the middle of it.
    â€œSo how’d you know about this place?”
    Her shoulders relaxed enough that he could actually differentiate them from her neck. “They’ve been making me stock the lab, and a lot of the stuff that we’re unpacking was stored in this shed. I spent the first couple days here digging out beakers and hot plates and all the other ancient equipment I could find.”
    â€œAnd you remembered that it had a shingle roof and trash cans?”
    She lifted a shoulder and shook her head. “I paid attention. I thought I was on my own here. I didn’t know if anyone would find me.”
    The words settled, heavy and bitter, in his stomach. “And if I hadn’t come?”
    She glanced at the towering wall lined with barbed wire and broken glass. “I was going to crawl up here, jump the fence and face whatever was on the other side.” Her voice wavered on the last word, a touch of uncertainty in an otherwise fearless statement. He had to cross his arms over his chest to keep from pulling her against him and kissing the top of her head, as he’d done a thousand times in their previous life.
    Her escape plan would have been a suicide mission. No intel. No protection from the elements. And no training.
    He’d been trained by the very best to survive under those conditions, and the thought of landing in the middle of an unknown jungle still twisted his gut.
    On the lam from a drug cartel with zero ethics, her escape plan would have ended badly, and she knew it. But it wouldn’t have stopped her from trying.
    Her courage made Will smile. It was going to come in handy in the next week.
    â€œI’m glad my dad sent someone.” She rested her chin on her knees, and his gaze joined the motion of hers, sweeping across the winding paths between buildings.
    Of course, she hadn’t specified that she was glad it had been Will.
    If he’d read her right, she had been surprised when he opened her door earlier that night, even though he’d told her he’d come. Her trust in him was hazy at best, but he couldn’t fix that overnight. Ten years of questions and bitterness didn’t disappear in two days.
    â€œMe, too.”
    â€œHmm?”
    He nudged her shoulder with his own. “I’m glad that your dad sent me, too.”
    The corner of her mouth tugged upward in a tiny smile that disappeared an instant later, when a low rumble sounded. She looked toward the balcony above, as though waiting for lightning to follow the thunder. “What is that?”
    He nodded toward the hive of activity out in the courtyard. “Our getaway.”
    The trucks shook and rattled as their engines roared to life, drowning out the shouting of the guards and likely waking anyone within the compound.
    â€œThey’re going without us, aren’t they.” She didn’t ask it as a question, instead angling her head to indicate she knew it to be true. With a squeak and a groan, the front gates rolled open and the trucks lumbered through, disappearing into the blackness. “So what are we going to do?”
    He clenched his jaw for a long moment. They couldn’t count on more trucks arriving in the next few days. And even if one did show up, the way the two that just left had been guarded, he couldn’t count on even getting near another one, either.
    Taking a deep breath, Will scooted to the edge of the roof. “Everyone’s distracted. Time to get back to our rooms.”
    He dropped to the ground, bending his knees to take the impact. Turning, he put his hands up to catch Jess around the waist, but she had already jumped onto the trash bins. With an easy hop and a sly smirk, she joined him on solid ground.
    Fair enough. This wasn’t the first time she’d proved that she didn’t need